Slow Cooker Vegetable Yellow Split Pea Soup

Serves 8
Recipe from SkinnyTaste Fast and Slow by Gina Homolka
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is a very easy soup to make and it’s so tasty too.  It’s low fat and full of protein and fiber.  Make this soup on the weekend and you’ll have a nice dinner for Meatless Monday plus more to pack in your workweek lunchbox. 

16 ounces yellow split peas, rinsed well
1 cup diced peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
6 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (or Homemade Vegetable Broth)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
6 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
½ Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach

Combine the split peas, butternut squash, carrots, celery, and broth in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 9-10 hours, until the peas are very soft.
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, 3-4 minutes.  Transfer to the slow cooker and add the spinach.  Stir well and cook until the spinach wilts, 15 minutes.  Serve hot.

Notes: 
You can chill the soup in the fridge for up to a week.  It will thicken quite a bit, so you may need to add more liquid when you reheat the soup before serving.
Turmeric stains everything, so be sure to wear an apron and wash your utensils, dishes, sink and countertop right away.

Nutritional Info per 1¼ Cup Serving:  247 calories; 1.5 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 4 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrates; 9.5 g fiber; 17 g protein; 7 g sugars; 599 mg sodium (Using Homemade Vegetable Broth will reduce sodium if you don’t add salt to the broth.)

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